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But her house near the beach on Long Island was so ravaged by superstorm Sandy that her family won't be able to return for months. So this year, instead of having a loud, baby-filled celebration there, Thanksgiving dinner will be at Mitchell's Diner in Oceanside, where they made reservations to be sure to get a seat.

"It's the first time in a very long time it won't be in my house," said Ms. Spiro, 67 years old. "And it makes me feel very sad. But otherwise I'm thrilled everyone is healthy, and we'll be together, meeting at the diner."

Across the region, the annual celebration of gratitude and abundance will be a significantly altered holiday for the families upended by Sandy. Some are making do with what little food they have on hand, while others are joining forces with neighbors for communal dinners or turning to charities for help.

The bottom floors of the Gravesend Houses in Brooklyn's Coney Island neighborhood were inundated with floodwaters. The kitchen walls had to be cleaned of mud and mold, and many pots and pans were ruined.

But preparations are under way this week for a makeshift Thanksgiving dinner. Deborah Carter, president of the city-owned public-housing complex, said volunteers from the buildings are planning to crowd into a ground-floor kitchen and prepare a meal for at least 350 residents.

Ms. Carter, 57, is hoping to pull together a spread of turkey, stuffing, potato salad and other favorites. "I make the best homemade pineapple coconut cake," she said. "I'm trying to find the Presto self-rising flour to make it for everyone."

As they do every holiday season, food pantries, soup kitchens and charities are stepping in to help those in need—but three weeks after a disaster that left thousands homeless, the need is even greater. The American Red Cross, in just one massive example, is planning to serve 35,000 hot meals to New Jersey and New York residents affected by the storm. And Lowe's stores will distribute more than 22,000 Boston Market meals to families in hard-hit areas Wednesday.

Smaller organizations are mobilizing as well. Some 1,300 parishioners from Liquid Church in Morristown, N.J., will descend on Staten Island's hard-hit neighborhoods to serve holiday dinners. On Long Island, meanwhile, Oceanside Community Service has moved its annual dinner to the town's high school in anticipation of a large turnout.

Even some nonprofit groups devoted to providing Thanksgiving aid found themselves slammed by the aftermath of Sandy.

City Harvest, a food-distribution charity, had to implement a last-minute turkey rescue after the post-storm havoc threatened to ruin their holiday provisions. A Long Island City facility holding 10,000 frozen birds lost power in the flooding, leaving the organization five days to find working freezers before the turkeys defrosted.

Volunteers are also coming up with unexpected ways to make the holiday special for survivors. After her daughter's home in Brick, N.J., was damaged, Jennifer Kaufman, 47, of Washington Township, set up "A Place at the Table," an online resource where those holding Thanksgiving meals can sign up to host a displaced family or out-of-state utility worker for the holiday.

So far, about 400 families around the tri-state area have signed to host someone for the holiday. Ms. Kaufman has promoted the effort on Facebook and is relying on a free Google tool to connect people. "Hopefully I'm doing a small part," Ms. Kaufman said.

For some families that were lucky to come out of the storm unscathed, having a lavish celebration doesn't seem right.

Judy Casanova of Long Beach feels so fortunate that her parents, Regulo and Judith Celis, survived in their home four blocks from the ocean that her family is planning to serve meals at a citywide feast at the local ice-skating rink, followed by a small meal at home.

"We're definitely not having turkey this year," Ms. Casanova said. "Maybe some chicken and rice and a salad."

Patricia Straub of Freeport, N.Y., is contemplating ravioli for Thanksgiving. She and her 81-year-old mother still have no power or heat in their home. They can use the stove top of their gas stove, but not the oven, said Ms. Straub. Their holiday dinner will be modest. "We'll give thanks, I'm just not sure how," said Ms. Straub, 52. "A lot of people have it so much worse. They have little kids, a lot of people are homeless."

Some displaced families are still deciding how to spend the day. Roni Anderson of Far Rockaway, Queens, who has been stuck at an airport hotel with her three children, had been considering trying to get funds together for a dinner at Sylvia's restaurant in Harlem. Or she might try to pull something together at the hotel, which charges around $15 a night for a mini fridge or microwave.

Her family's traditional meal features macaroni and cheese, collard greens and other Thanksgiving staples, such as a cheesecake with cherry-pie filling that was a favorite of her late mother.

"Not this year though," said Ms. Anderson. "We're just lucky to be alive."

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